Six years later, more and more kids are getting the chance to kick a ball around. There are now 76 teams in the Free Footie league, with about 1,200 players.

The program works with 40 schools in communities where the city’s poorest families live.

“There are kids here from all around the world. There’s lots of newcomers, refugees; there are kids coming from the outlying reserves around Edmonton,” Adams said. “There are kids whose families have been here forever, but just need a little bit of extra support. But I can tell you being around these kids, I would be proud to call them my own.”

With so many kids playing, the number of volunteers including referees and coaches continues to grow, now around 300.